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LED Lighting in Large WarehouseIndustrial facilities consume a tremendous amount of energy. As you might expect, these buildings are expensive to operate. Keeping the lights on is a significant part of your facility’s cost of operations, and you may be consuming and paying for much more than you need to if you’re using conventional lighting fixtures. Fortunately, there has never been a better time to look for new energy efficient lighting solutions. LEDs are changing the landscape and are available in all of the most commonly used fixtures in commercial buildings.

Why Should Commercial Facilities Consider LED?

What are the benefits of industrial and commercial LED lights?

Stouch Lighting: What's The Difference Between Conventional Lighting and LEDs

Industrial LED light fixtures are quickly making alternative types of lighting obsolete. There are three main reasons for this change: energy efficiency, reduced maintenance, and better light quality. Let’s look at each one a little closer:

  • Energy consumption and efficiency: Retrofitting your current industrial lighting with an energy efficient LED solution can save you up to 80% in your energy costs. The savings are so significant that you can finance the replacement with the energy cost savings you will realize as a result. For example, a fluorescent light (commonly used in commercial lighting applications) mounted on the ceiling will emit light for 360 degrees...including useless emissions into the ceiling itself. Some of this light can be reflected and/or redirected but much of it is lost, meaning the energy used to produce it is wasted. This light will have high luminous efficacy (total light emitted) but lower useful lumens and/or foot candles (total light emitted in the desired target area). An LED light, by comparison, emits light directionally (only 180 degrees) meaning there is no wasted energy directing light towards the ceiling instead of the target area of the room being illuminated. The light that better directs its directional emissions will have a higher measure for useful lumens. Because LEDs are directional they will surpass the efficiency of an equally capable omnidirectional (360 degree) light, which makes them great fixtures for industrial lighting.Industrial Commercial LED Lights in Large Facility Warehouse
  • Reduced maintenance cost: Drastically reduce maintenance costs by utilizing industrial LED lighting fixtures and lamps that have from four to forty times the useful service life of legacy commercial lighting. Because industrial facilities are so large, there is often a lot of waste product and disposal issues to consider. Completing an LED conversion or retrofit will help eliminate waste disposal issues by transitioning from High Intensity Discharge Lamps (such as Metal Halide and High Pressure Sodium) to newer, cleaner technology. Although the initial costs tend to be higher with LEDs, the long lifespan makes up for this several times over. In this way, purchasing LED industrial lighting is very much an investment. Along with the longer lifespan typically comes a longer product guarantee (warranty) and significantly reduced maintenance expenses and hassle.
  • Lighting quality and performance: Light emitted from LEDs is likely to be much higher quality than traditional lighting solutions for two principal reasons. First, the way that objects are revealed when subject to LED emissions is very close to natural light; LED lighting has a much higher Color Rendering Index (CRI). For instance, grass will appear green at night under LEDs, but colorless or yellowish under HPS lights. Second, the amount of light that hits the target area is likely to be much higher for a given power rating than it will be with virtually any other light. In other words, the area you care about will get all of the light!

LED Warehouse Lighting

What is the best LED product for my Application?

  • High Bay Fixtures are often used in warehouse settings which have ceilings approximately 25 ft and higher. They are used to light both horizontal and vertical working planes, and can be used with a variety of reflectors. Typically, high bay lighting fixtures have used fluorescent bulbs or metal halide bulbs in the past. While these types of industrial lighting have their advantages, LED high bay fixtures will outperform fluorescents and metal halides in important ways. Read about LED versus fluorescent bulbs HERE, and read about LED versus metal halide HERE.
  • Low Bay Fixtures are used in warehouses and other commercial facilities where both ceilings and mounting height are lower. High bay lights are not appropriate in these buildings because they may not distribute light properly. Like high bays, low bay lighting fixtures also typically use metal halide and fluorescent bulbs...but both are quickly losing ground to LED warehouse lighting fixtures.
  • Linear Strip Lights are a great fit for large places like department stores or grocery stores. Some of their benefits include a smaller footprint and a cleaner look. When you consider LED strip lights for commercial spaces, there is also a smaller energy footprint as well. Historically, T12 and T8 light fixtures have been used when industrial strip lighting is required or desired.
  • Recessed Troffer lights come in three standard sizes: 1’ x 4’, 2’ x 2’, and 2’ x 4’. Conventional Troffer fixtures often include T12 and/or T8 Fluorescent lamps, ranging from 2-4 lamps per fixture.  They can be surface mounted, pendant mounted, or chain-hung.  LED Troffer solutions can consist of new LED fixtures, or LED Linear Tube retrofits, with the best option depending on existing operating conditions.  Troffer applications exist in a variety of Warehouse and Industrial buildings and facilities.  Whether you choose recessed or surface-mounted depends on ceiling fit and desired light performance.Ebook: 7 Different Lights LEDs Are Putting Out of Business

Vapor Tight Lighting

Does your warehouse or commercial space require vapor-tight industrial lighting fixtures?

Depending on your industry, a commercial space may be humid, or it may be exposed to rain, ice, and other types of moisture. If not properly mitigated, these environments can lead to rust, corrosion, and other types of damage over time. Many brands offer industrial lighting fixtures that are specifically created to keep bulbs intact and properly functioning.

As a manufacturer-neutral LED lighting distributor, Stouch Lighting can harness the best lighting fixtures for your industrial or commercial space. We are experts at LED retrofits, and our primary purpose is to understand your lighting problem and devise the appropriate solution. If you’re curious about Return on Investment for retrofitting your industrial facility, contact us today today, or fill out our ROI calculator.